Magnetic stimulation of the pelvic floor might be an effective treatment for children with overactive bladder. Researchers from the Yonsei University College of Medicine, in Seoul, Korea, examined the effect of magnetic therapy in 42 children. The children were grouped according to their symptoms into three categories: those who had voiding urgency and involuntary urinary leakage; those who had nighttime bedwetting only and no daytime incontinence and those having both daytime and nighttime incontinence. Magnetic stimulation was administered twice a week for 4 weeks using a size-adjusted magnetic chair. Each session lasted 20 minutes. After all magnetic stimulation treatment sessions, the average daily voiding frequency decreased significantly in the group with urge incontinence and in the kids with both daytime incontinence and nocturnal enuresis. A significant decrease in the frequency of urge incontinence was also observed in these groups. Children with only nighttime bedwetting also had a significant decrease in episodes. The researchers noted an increase in the average bladder capacity in all of the groups. Further studies are needed on the duration of stimulation, combined treatments, and studies comparing magnetic therapy with sham stimulation.
British Journal of Urology International,
June 2005